Across PA In My Granny Gear
09-22-14, 07:22 PM
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Across PA In My Granny Gear
The Overview: Last year I rode the GAP from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, MD then headed north to Bedford, PA (original headquarters of Cannondale) and crossed PA via a southerly route. This past winter I started at looking at this trip and learned I could drop off a one-way rental in Vienna, OH, not all that far from the PA border. In July, while participating in the Bon Ton Roulet, the GF and I met a couple from the Youngstown, OH area. It turned out that they live 5 miles from the airport drop off. I drove out to their place on a Friday a spent the night with them. The next morning I tossed the loaded bike into the back of the SUV, drove to the airport, pulled the bike out and started the trip from there. The trip would take me on a route of my own design to Franklin, PA to pick up the Allegheny River Trail to Emlenton. From Emlenton, I would ride signed PA Bike Route V to Catawissa, where I would again take my own route home, which route happened to use a little of PA Bike Route S in Lancaster and Chester Counties.
The Basic Stats: Since we seem to focus much on numbers these day, I ended up riding about 500 miles in 9 days. The maps I have since created show about 27,000’ of total climbing. The longest day was around 73. The shortest around 45.
The Gear: I carried a UL two-person tent, ThermaRest ProLite 3 mattress, and a 20+ sleeping bag. Clothes were kept to a minimum. Two bibs, two jerseys, two pairs of socks, arm and leg warmers, rain pants, a light rain shell, a light wind jacket, gloves, Polypro glove liners and a pair of medium weight, long-fingered gloves. For off bike I had a pair of convertible pants, one synthetic tee, a long sleeve tee, two pair of underwear, one pair of medium weight socks, a light cheap pair of sandals from PayLess and a wool hat. I wore everything at least twice. I cooked dinner every night except one and made coffee every morning. The cooking gear included an MSR Dragonfly stove, 22 oz. fuel bottle, a couple of pots, a Lexan bowl and plate, small, light cutting board, plastic French Press mug, some eating and cooking utensils and a light knife. Other assorted items included a cable, combo lock, headlamp, Road Morph G pump, phone charger and basic toilet items.
Photos: Can be found here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/davez2...7647841191346/
Click on the first one and advance manually. Captions are at the bottom left of each.
The Segments: Day 1: Vienna to Franlkin; Day 2: Franklin to Shippenville; Day 3: Shippenville to Woodland; Day 4: Woodland to Bellefonte; Day 5: Bellefonte to Raymond B. Winter S.P.; Day 6: Raymond B Winter to Bloomsburg; Day 7: Bloomsburg to Hegins; Day 8: Hegins to Red Run Campground in Lancaster County; Day 9: Red Run to my house in Philly.
The Weather: Most days were quite pleasant temperature-wise. I did have rain on the first day. Fortunately, I was under cover eating lunch when the heaviest rain came through. Sunday was gorgeous once the fog burned off, as was Monday. Tuesday through Friday were mostly overcast with peaks of sun. Saturday it rained starting at mile 5 and pretty much rained to one degree or another for nearly the entire 65 or so miles, and the temperature never made it beyond the mid-60s. As often seems to be the case, the skies started to clear once the day’s ride was over. Sunday was another sunny, cool day.
The Overall Riding: I mostly enjoyed the trip. One thing that got to me were the stretches of nasty ups and downs. One after another after another. Although such hills were not long, the grades seemed to approach 7-8% in places. A loaded touring bike can go from 20 mph to 7 mph very quickly. Often I simply didn’t bother to shift. I would just coast the descent and wait for the bike to slow down up the next hill to match the gear I was in, which was often my granny (26x34). It was one trip where I wished I had STI rather than bar ends. I toured in the mountains of Montana back in June, where the climbing is much different. I would go up for 10 or more miles at mostly manageable grades but then descend for up to 30 miles. I much prefer that to repetitive, steep ups and down, which are physically and psychologically exhausting. This trip also had some longer climbs. The four to five mile variety. Sometimes more than one each day.
I was forced to walk sections of two climbs on Day 8. They were just too steep for me to ride a straight line. At the top of the second such climb, the sign for the descent read 14% for 1.5 miles. On the descent, I realized that the ascent had been steeper. The longest, steepest descent was coming off the mountain into Clearfield, where the sign indicated 7% for 3.5 miles.
The scenery, while generally pleasant, and downright pretty in some places, was less than what I expected. I don’t recall having one nice vista or mountain view the entire trip. There was also more traffic in places than I like. That’s due to the fact that PA’s official bike route stick to state roads and U.S. Highways rather than often quieter local ones.
Some Highlights: The Allegheny River Trail, with its two unlit tunnels, was mostly scenic, although it got monotonous after 20 of 27 miles. That morning in Franklin two squabbling bald eagles flew not more than 20’ above my head. Bellefonte was charming. The stately court house in the center of town is where Jerry Sandusky met his fate. The predominantly Amish Brush Valley, east of State College, is beautiful. Wooded Raymond B. Winter State Park in Bald Eagle State Forest provided a nice change of scenery. The Hegins Valley was also quite pretty—and hilly. A six mile stretch served up over 600’ of climbing. I got to ride through what’s left of the town of Centralia. As you may or may not know, a fire has been burning underground in that area for over 50 years and is predicted to burn for decades (if not centuries) more. There are a few residents still living there. You can read more about it here:
Centralia, Pennsylvania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I rode the abandoned Section of PA 61 mentioned in the link. It’s covered with graffiti, some of which is quite funny.
Favorite Campground: Red Run. It’s in Amish country and is bisected by a public road that leads to Amish farms. That evening, a young Amish man came through the campground selling fruit and baked goods. That night, two tractors rolled by pulling flatbeds full of young Amish children. The next morning I shared the rode with several buggies.
Worst Campground: Indian Head Campground outside of Bloomsburg. $34 (the other private campgrounds where I stayed charged between $22 and $27.50), and the place was pretty much a dump with a bit of a mosquito issue. There was a guy living a few sites away. He reminded me of the character Lawrence in the film “Office Space.”
Favorite Meal: I made this last year out of necessity while riding the GAP when I was faced with a small, poorly stocked dollar store in Rockwood, PA. Slice and saute 4 or 5 cloves of garlic in olive oil then add two cars of cannellini beans with some of the water from one of the cans and let simmer for a while, adding more oil if desired. Cook some pasta, mix the two together and season with salt and pepper. I purposefully scheduled this meal for a day when I had to carry groceries for nearly the entire way as it is relatively light and compact. A couple of other nice meals included pasta with fresh asparagus, onion and chicken sausage and pasta with fersh asparagus, onion and shrimp of the canned variety.
Worst Meal: A couple cans of Beef-A-Roni. I was too tired to prepare something elaborate after riding 60+ miles in the rain on Day 8.
During the Trip: I did not sleep in a bed, watch TV or use a computer or otherwise go on line. I sat in chairs with backs only three times. All but one of my meals were eaten outside, including the one restaurant dinner. (I ate breakfast indoors at a café in Lewisburg.) I never spent more than 30 min. inside a structure with four walls and a roof. I had no intentional, physical contact with another human being, but I did pet two cats.
Guess that is about it. I am eyeing up South Dakota and NW Nebraska for next year. I have never ridden in either state and would like to add them to the list of states I have toured in, which list currently stands at twenty-one.
The Basic Stats: Since we seem to focus much on numbers these day, I ended up riding about 500 miles in 9 days. The maps I have since created show about 27,000’ of total climbing. The longest day was around 73. The shortest around 45.
The Gear: I carried a UL two-person tent, ThermaRest ProLite 3 mattress, and a 20+ sleeping bag. Clothes were kept to a minimum. Two bibs, two jerseys, two pairs of socks, arm and leg warmers, rain pants, a light rain shell, a light wind jacket, gloves, Polypro glove liners and a pair of medium weight, long-fingered gloves. For off bike I had a pair of convertible pants, one synthetic tee, a long sleeve tee, two pair of underwear, one pair of medium weight socks, a light cheap pair of sandals from PayLess and a wool hat. I wore everything at least twice. I cooked dinner every night except one and made coffee every morning. The cooking gear included an MSR Dragonfly stove, 22 oz. fuel bottle, a couple of pots, a Lexan bowl and plate, small, light cutting board, plastic French Press mug, some eating and cooking utensils and a light knife. Other assorted items included a cable, combo lock, headlamp, Road Morph G pump, phone charger and basic toilet items.
Photos: Can be found here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/davez2...7647841191346/
Click on the first one and advance manually. Captions are at the bottom left of each.
The Segments: Day 1: Vienna to Franlkin; Day 2: Franklin to Shippenville; Day 3: Shippenville to Woodland; Day 4: Woodland to Bellefonte; Day 5: Bellefonte to Raymond B. Winter S.P.; Day 6: Raymond B Winter to Bloomsburg; Day 7: Bloomsburg to Hegins; Day 8: Hegins to Red Run Campground in Lancaster County; Day 9: Red Run to my house in Philly.
The Weather: Most days were quite pleasant temperature-wise. I did have rain on the first day. Fortunately, I was under cover eating lunch when the heaviest rain came through. Sunday was gorgeous once the fog burned off, as was Monday. Tuesday through Friday were mostly overcast with peaks of sun. Saturday it rained starting at mile 5 and pretty much rained to one degree or another for nearly the entire 65 or so miles, and the temperature never made it beyond the mid-60s. As often seems to be the case, the skies started to clear once the day’s ride was over. Sunday was another sunny, cool day.
The Overall Riding: I mostly enjoyed the trip. One thing that got to me were the stretches of nasty ups and downs. One after another after another. Although such hills were not long, the grades seemed to approach 7-8% in places. A loaded touring bike can go from 20 mph to 7 mph very quickly. Often I simply didn’t bother to shift. I would just coast the descent and wait for the bike to slow down up the next hill to match the gear I was in, which was often my granny (26x34). It was one trip where I wished I had STI rather than bar ends. I toured in the mountains of Montana back in June, where the climbing is much different. I would go up for 10 or more miles at mostly manageable grades but then descend for up to 30 miles. I much prefer that to repetitive, steep ups and down, which are physically and psychologically exhausting. This trip also had some longer climbs. The four to five mile variety. Sometimes more than one each day.
I was forced to walk sections of two climbs on Day 8. They were just too steep for me to ride a straight line. At the top of the second such climb, the sign for the descent read 14% for 1.5 miles. On the descent, I realized that the ascent had been steeper. The longest, steepest descent was coming off the mountain into Clearfield, where the sign indicated 7% for 3.5 miles.
The scenery, while generally pleasant, and downright pretty in some places, was less than what I expected. I don’t recall having one nice vista or mountain view the entire trip. There was also more traffic in places than I like. That’s due to the fact that PA’s official bike route stick to state roads and U.S. Highways rather than often quieter local ones.
Some Highlights: The Allegheny River Trail, with its two unlit tunnels, was mostly scenic, although it got monotonous after 20 of 27 miles. That morning in Franklin two squabbling bald eagles flew not more than 20’ above my head. Bellefonte was charming. The stately court house in the center of town is where Jerry Sandusky met his fate. The predominantly Amish Brush Valley, east of State College, is beautiful. Wooded Raymond B. Winter State Park in Bald Eagle State Forest provided a nice change of scenery. The Hegins Valley was also quite pretty—and hilly. A six mile stretch served up over 600’ of climbing. I got to ride through what’s left of the town of Centralia. As you may or may not know, a fire has been burning underground in that area for over 50 years and is predicted to burn for decades (if not centuries) more. There are a few residents still living there. You can read more about it here:
Centralia, Pennsylvania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I rode the abandoned Section of PA 61 mentioned in the link. It’s covered with graffiti, some of which is quite funny.
Favorite Campground: Red Run. It’s in Amish country and is bisected by a public road that leads to Amish farms. That evening, a young Amish man came through the campground selling fruit and baked goods. That night, two tractors rolled by pulling flatbeds full of young Amish children. The next morning I shared the rode with several buggies.
Worst Campground: Indian Head Campground outside of Bloomsburg. $34 (the other private campgrounds where I stayed charged between $22 and $27.50), and the place was pretty much a dump with a bit of a mosquito issue. There was a guy living a few sites away. He reminded me of the character Lawrence in the film “Office Space.”
Favorite Meal: I made this last year out of necessity while riding the GAP when I was faced with a small, poorly stocked dollar store in Rockwood, PA. Slice and saute 4 or 5 cloves of garlic in olive oil then add two cars of cannellini beans with some of the water from one of the cans and let simmer for a while, adding more oil if desired. Cook some pasta, mix the two together and season with salt and pepper. I purposefully scheduled this meal for a day when I had to carry groceries for nearly the entire way as it is relatively light and compact. A couple of other nice meals included pasta with fresh asparagus, onion and chicken sausage and pasta with fersh asparagus, onion and shrimp of the canned variety.
Worst Meal: A couple cans of Beef-A-Roni. I was too tired to prepare something elaborate after riding 60+ miles in the rain on Day 8.
During the Trip: I did not sleep in a bed, watch TV or use a computer or otherwise go on line. I sat in chairs with backs only three times. All but one of my meals were eaten outside, including the one restaurant dinner. (I ate breakfast indoors at a café in Lewisburg.) I never spent more than 30 min. inside a structure with four walls and a roof. I had no intentional, physical contact with another human being, but I did pet two cats.
Guess that is about it. I am eyeing up South Dakota and NW Nebraska for next year. I have never ridden in either state and would like to add them to the list of states I have toured in, which list currently stands at twenty-one.
Last edited by indyfabz; 09-23-14 at 05:47 AM. Reason: Phot Set was incomplete
09-22-14, 11:29 PM
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Thanks for the review.
PA is an odd state, in regards to the most scenic views... There isn't much around Clearfield or anywhere just south of i-80. There are some beautiful roads further north through the game lands, past Renovo, and towards the PA "Grand Canyon" all nice rolling grades.
I'm near Altoona myself and the road past the Horseshoe Curve is a beautiful road with some history. Try that sometime. I'm thinking a nice trip would be to take the Pine Creek (rail) Trail from north to south, follow the MS150 route from State College to Altoona. Take the Horseshoe Curve route up the mountain. Then take the service road past the Lemon House to US22 and ride that into Ebensburg where you can catch the Ghost Town (rail) Trail to Blairsville. Not sure where I'd go from there, as the West Penn trail would be challenging with touring gear.
Good luck with DS and NW.Nebraska. Sounds boring to me.
I didn't even like driving a car through that part of the country. LOL
PA is an odd state, in regards to the most scenic views... There isn't much around Clearfield or anywhere just south of i-80. There are some beautiful roads further north through the game lands, past Renovo, and towards the PA "Grand Canyon" all nice rolling grades.
I'm near Altoona myself and the road past the Horseshoe Curve is a beautiful road with some history. Try that sometime. I'm thinking a nice trip would be to take the Pine Creek (rail) Trail from north to south, follow the MS150 route from State College to Altoona. Take the Horseshoe Curve route up the mountain. Then take the service road past the Lemon House to US22 and ride that into Ebensburg where you can catch the Ghost Town (rail) Trail to Blairsville. Not sure where I'd go from there, as the West Penn trail would be challenging with touring gear.
Good luck with DS and NW.Nebraska. Sounds boring to me.
I didn't even like driving a car through that part of the country. LOL
09-23-14, 05:35 AM
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Thanks for the review.
PA is an odd state, in regards to the most scenic views... There isn't much around Clearfield or anywhere just south of i-80. There are some beautiful roads further north through the game lands, past Renovo, and towards the PA "Grand Canyon" all nice rolling grades.
I'm near Altoona myself and the road past the Horseshoe Curve is a beautiful road with some history. Try that sometime. I'm thinking a nice trip would be to take the Pine Creek (rail) Trail from north to south, follow the MS150 route from State College to Altoona. Take the Horseshoe Curve route up the mountain. Then take the service road past the Lemon House to US22 and ride that into Ebensburg where you can catch the Ghost Town (rail) Trail to Blairsville. Not sure where I'd go from there, as the West Penn trail would be challenging with touring gear.
Good luck with DS and NW.Nebraska. Sounds boring to me. I didn't even like driving a car through that part of the country. LOL
PA is an odd state, in regards to the most scenic views... There isn't much around Clearfield or anywhere just south of i-80. There are some beautiful roads further north through the game lands, past Renovo, and towards the PA "Grand Canyon" all nice rolling grades.
I'm near Altoona myself and the road past the Horseshoe Curve is a beautiful road with some history. Try that sometime. I'm thinking a nice trip would be to take the Pine Creek (rail) Trail from north to south, follow the MS150 route from State College to Altoona. Take the Horseshoe Curve route up the mountain. Then take the service road past the Lemon House to US22 and ride that into Ebensburg where you can catch the Ghost Town (rail) Trail to Blairsville. Not sure where I'd go from there, as the West Penn trail would be challenging with touring gear.
Good luck with DS and NW.Nebraska. Sounds boring to me.
I didn't even like driving a car through that part of the country. LOLClimbed up to Prince Gallitzin and came down through the curve twice. I work in the RR biz, so that was like a pilgrimage to Mecca. Also done the Lower and Ghost Town Trails. All that was when Bob Ingersoll ran Pedal PA. He had a terrific event. It's a shame there isn't a yearly PA supported tour like there is in many other states.
SD and NB look fun. Mount Rushmore, Spearfish Canyon., the 100+ mile Mickelson Trail, Oglala National Grasslands and Toadstool Geologic Park are all in the preliminary plan, plus more.
09-23-14, 05:48 AM
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I supplemented the photo set. Flickr was having all sorts of problems last night and apparently didn't save the final 8.
09-23-14, 07:09 AM
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Very cool ... you've got me thinking about doing something like this here in Wisconsin
09-23-14, 09:11 AM
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Wisconsin bicycle maps - Wisconsin Department of Transportation
I only spent one night in the state while crossing the country. We crossed over from MN to reach a campground in Osceola and then went back into MN the next day to head to Minneapolis. A few years ago there was a piece in "Adventure Cyclist" about how the state is filled with scenic, quiet, country roads to ride on.
09-23-14, 09:16 AM
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Thanks for the link!
Indeed, once you get away from Milwaukee there's lots of scenic and quiet roads. Heck, there are those around here too, if you just know where to look.
I used to go canoe camping with some friends back a few years, and I've been missing that "adventure" that I had to look forward to each spring. I've got a ton of camping gear that I could easily adapt to this (a solo tent as well as a two man). My Trek could easily serve as a tourer with the addition of a rear rack and panniers. Hmmm ... Now the wheels are turning
Indeed, once you get away from Milwaukee there's lots of scenic and quiet roads. Heck, there are those around here too, if you just know where to look.
I used to go canoe camping with some friends back a few years, and I've been missing that "adventure" that I had to look forward to each spring. I've got a ton of camping gear that I could easily adapt to this (a solo tent as well as a two man). My Trek could easily serve as a tourer with the addition of a rear rack and panniers. Hmmm ... Now the wheels are turning
09-23-14, 09:57 AM
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Enjoyed the pictures and the story.
The bridge over the Allegheny in your pictures, that is the Sandy Creek trail. It starts at Fisherman's Cove and runs along the river for about 4 miles and then crosses in your picture on the Belmar Bridge. Total distance is 12 miles up to Rt. 322 near Cranberry. Rt. 322 then runs through Knox, Shippingville, and into Clarion. You can cross Rt. 322 and continue on a trail, but from what I've heard it is a very rough trail, true mountain bike needed.
Picture of the end of the trail on the ART as you called it (beginning of the trail for me) in Emlenton, to the right of the picture is the old Petrowax plant. My father-in-law worked there. My wife also worked there in the summer during her college years. They closed down sometime in 2000. Have to watch the copperheads here. I ran one over last fall as it was hidden in the leaves fallen on the trail. I always wondered what would happen if one struck your ankle while biking with an elevated heart rate, especially if it was deep into the trail where there is no one around.
The constant up and down of the hills in western PA are definitely a problem with biking. There's no break as the downhill is over in seconds and you're heading back up again. We don't have beautiful views because the hills aren't big enough for the roads to skate along the sides of them overlooking the beautiful vistas of the valleys. Instead, the roads just seem to run straight up and over just about every hill there is. To get views, you have to get to some of the lookouts above the Allegheny. Above the Kennerdale tunnel on the ART (the 1st tunnel you went through that you've imaged) is a lookout pull off that overlooks the Allegheny. There's another one at Brady's Bend which you can reach continuing on through the woods past Emlenton along the river that is not yet part of the ART (Emlenton to Foxburg is passable, but private property, paved Foxburg to Parker, then a dirt road/trail from Parker to Brady.)
The 2 things that western PA does have is a lot of old farms. I love taking photos of all the barns. Also, a lot of bridges just about everywhere. If you ventured into Emlenton at all out of the ART trail head, you would have seen the Emlenton I-80 bridge which is said to be the highest bridge this side of the Mississippi River.
Curious since it is my home area you traveled through, where/how did you continue from Emlenton up into Clarion? Just about every way you can get to Clarion from down there is up over the hills. Left out of Emlenton would be quite a climb as would have crossing the river and running Rt. 208 up and crossing back over the river to go through Foxburg.
The bridge over the Allegheny in your pictures, that is the Sandy Creek trail. It starts at Fisherman's Cove and runs along the river for about 4 miles and then crosses in your picture on the Belmar Bridge. Total distance is 12 miles up to Rt. 322 near Cranberry. Rt. 322 then runs through Knox, Shippingville, and into Clarion. You can cross Rt. 322 and continue on a trail, but from what I've heard it is a very rough trail, true mountain bike needed.
Picture of the end of the trail on the ART as you called it (beginning of the trail for me) in Emlenton, to the right of the picture is the old Petrowax plant. My father-in-law worked there. My wife also worked there in the summer during her college years. They closed down sometime in 2000. Have to watch the copperheads here. I ran one over last fall as it was hidden in the leaves fallen on the trail. I always wondered what would happen if one struck your ankle while biking with an elevated heart rate, especially if it was deep into the trail where there is no one around.
The constant up and down of the hills in western PA are definitely a problem with biking. There's no break as the downhill is over in seconds and you're heading back up again. We don't have beautiful views because the hills aren't big enough for the roads to skate along the sides of them overlooking the beautiful vistas of the valleys. Instead, the roads just seem to run straight up and over just about every hill there is. To get views, you have to get to some of the lookouts above the Allegheny. Above the Kennerdale tunnel on the ART (the 1st tunnel you went through that you've imaged) is a lookout pull off that overlooks the Allegheny. There's another one at Brady's Bend which you can reach continuing on through the woods past Emlenton along the river that is not yet part of the ART (Emlenton to Foxburg is passable, but private property, paved Foxburg to Parker, then a dirt road/trail from Parker to Brady.)
The 2 things that western PA does have is a lot of old farms. I love taking photos of all the barns. Also, a lot of bridges just about everywhere. If you ventured into Emlenton at all out of the ART trail head, you would have seen the Emlenton I-80 bridge which is said to be the highest bridge this side of the Mississippi River.
Curious since it is my home area you traveled through, where/how did you continue from Emlenton up into Clarion? Just about every way you can get to Clarion from down there is up over the hills. Left out of Emlenton would be quite a climb as would have crossing the river and running Rt. 208 up and crossing back over the river to go through Foxburg.
09-23-14, 10:13 AM
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Awesome write up! When are we doing this again?
I might be moving to the DC area in the spring and full well plan on riding the GAP and C&O canal trails at one time. But I am really excited about the terrain since Chicago is flatter than a straight line.
I might be moving to the DC area in the spring and full well plan on riding the GAP and C&O canal trails at one time. But I am really excited about the terrain since Chicago is flatter than a straight line.
09-23-14, 11:27 AM
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If you ventured into Emlenton at all out of the ART trail head, you would have seen the Emlenton I-80 bridge which is said to be the highest bridge this side of the Mississippi River.
Curious since it is my home area you traveled through, where/how did you continue from Emlenton up into Clarion? Just about every way you can get to Clarion from down there is up over the hills. Left out of Emlenton would be quite a climb as would have crossing the river and running Rt. 208 up and crossing back over the river to go through Foxburg.
Curious since it is my home area you traveled through, where/how did you continue from Emlenton up into Clarion? Just about every way you can get to Clarion from down there is up over the hills. Left out of Emlenton would be quite a climb as would have crossing the river and running Rt. 208 up and crossing back over the river to go through Foxburg.
From Emlenton, I took PA 38/208 and then PA 208 (into a headwind) through Knox all the way to U.S. 322, where I headed east through Shippenville, a few miles west of Clarion. There is a campground a mile or so from the junction of off U.S. 322 and PA 66. The next morning, I had to descend down to the river and then climb into Clarion itself. I was hoping the town would be at river level, but alas, it's not.
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